Fact of the day

At the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Fritz Thiedemann - who had commanded a German cavalry unit during World War Two before being captured towards the end and interned in a Russian prison camp - created a unique piece of history. The farmer's son earned bronze medals in both individual show jumping and team dressage to become the only rider in Olympic history to win medals in two equestrian disciplines at the same Games. He went on to gold medals in team jumping at the 1956 Olympics, when the equestrian events were held in Stockholm, and Rome 1960. The Thiedemann rein is named after him.

IPC launches new websites for Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships

Wednesday, 16 January 2013

By Emily Goddard

January 16 - The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has today unveiled two new websites for the 2013 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey A Pool World Championships and B Pool World Championships, with just three and two months to go until the tournaments respectively.

The A Pool World Championships, which take place on April 12-20, will see the top eight teams battling it out for the top five places, which offer direct qualification for the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games.

Taking place in Goyang, South Korea, the tournament represents the first time an Asian country hosts the World Championships, which will be organised by the Korea Ice Hockey Association for the Disabled.

The United States enter the competition as the two-time defending world champions and the hosts will be looking to build on their surprise silver-medal finish at last year's event in Hamar, Norway, while Russia will take part in their first A Pool World Championships.

Alexi Salamone and defender Taylor Chace will be ones to watch at the 2013 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey A Pool World Championships

The competition also offers spectators the chance to see six of the IPC's Ones to Watch list for the season, with Canada's Brad Bowden and Greg Westlake, the Czech Republic's Pavel Kubes, Korea's Seung-Hwan Jung and USA's Alexi Salamone and Taylor Chace playing.

Meanwhile, six teams will contend the B Pool world title in Nagano, Japan, on March 10-16 at the Wakasato Tamokuteki Sports Arena – or "Big Hat" as it is also known, which is the same venue that hosted the 1998 Paralympic Winter Games competition.

It will be the fourth edition of the B Pool Championships, and the top three finishers from the event will move on to the Winter Paralympics qualification tournament, which will take place later this year and be the final chance for teams to qualify for Sochi 2014.

"Both of these Championships will showcase the world's best teams as they try to qualify for the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games," Keith Blase, chairman of the IPC Ice Sledge Hockey Sport Technical Committee, said.

"In addition, they will create great exposure for the top ice sledge hockey athletes, raising their profiles in their home countries and in the media in the lead-up to the Sochi 2014 Games."

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